Source: Jets to tag David Harris

It's impossible to really predict without knowing what's happening to the cap-if the cap goes up, everybody's salaries go up- but there's a big difference between the negotiating positions of Harris and Willis. Willis, who is pretty clearly a better player, had about 2/5 left on his rookie deal and add a 5/50 extension. If there's a CBA Harris is looking a a guaranteed 1 year/10 million+ deal; his current contract situation gives him much more negotiating leverage than Willis had, so I suspect he gets a very similar contract.

 

They aren't going to trade David Harris. Nor should they.

This move is to keep other teams from sniffing around and potentially making an offer the Jets can't possibly match. By tagging him, or at least putting word out that they are going to, will hopefully cross Harris off other team's lists of free agents to target. No team would be willing to surrender 2 first round picks.

 

If it's a Tag and Trade deal, I'll have mixed feelings. I like Harris, but do think he is somewhat overrated. It would be great to get at least a better #1 than the Jets currently have and probably an additional pick in the first 4 rounds, but then again, Tanny would probably just trade it away in a move up for some kid he's fallen in love with.

Now if Tanny were to use the #1 pick we got in the trade on a great OLB prospect, then trade DOWN into the 2nd round with the Jets' own #1 pick, adding an additional 2nd or 3rd round pick in the process...

 

I believe the Jets still want to sign Harris to a long term deal and use the franchise on 1 of the receivers. By leaking that they "plan" to tag Harriis that will hopefully get his agents realizing he isnt going anywhere and negotiating with the Jets is the way to go. Hopefully by the time they actually are in position to apply a tag (I believe the 1st day is March 10?) they will have made significant progress with Harris and wont need to tag him.

 

Until there's a CBA this is the best method of dealing with it. Rex has already come out and said he wants Harris to be here long term and Tannenbaum admitted that Harris was an important part of this team.

Right now, this can only be read as a precautionary method. No one can be resigned until a new CBA is put in place so the Jets are signaling that he is the most valuable expiring contract on the roster at the moment. Whether or not I agree with that sentiment is another matter.

Just because we're tagging Harris over Edwards, Holmes or Cromartie doesn't preclude the Jets from being able to bring them back as I imagine that any new CBA would include a period of time for franchises to sign their expiring contracts before they hit the open market.

 

Bart Scott, Calvin Pace and David Harris are going to be costing the thick end of $25M between them next season if this happens. Even if the new CBA saw a rise in the cap to $150M, which it won't, that will mean that 6% of the roster, a 6% that has formed the heart of probably the biggest weakness in the side, is taking up 17% of the money.

 

Scott, Pace, and Harris are 'the heart of our biggest weakness'?
Please explain..

These are good LB's. What needs to improve is our pass rushing. Finding another OLB who can rush, as well as d linemen who can collapse the pocket is needed.

 

this is a bad move for us, dont get me wrong, i like harris, but harris doesnt make enough impact plays.

now holmes on the other hand, is a proven game changer, a play maker, i wouldnt let him go anywhere.

and edwards might have more value than harris.

I think of the one impact play harris had, and it was in the playoffs, and he run out of wind, [looked very slow also]

edwards, and holmes made more plays for us than harris did.

but I hope we can find a way too keep all three.

 

IMO Harris is the only Jets player going into free agency that is worth giving top five money to at his position. If they use the tag at all of course they franchise tag Harris; he's the only player with an expiring contract on the Jets that would deserve that kind of money. Holmes, Edwards and Cromartie are good but not good enough that they should be paid the amounts of money that the franchise tag would give them. Plus they all have some type of "character issue" which makes giving them that much money more of a risk on top of the fact that those "character issues" could also keep their values lower.

 

Linebackers are our biggest issue. Not disputing the quality that Scott and Harris bring to their role but to give those three $25M+ and still offer zero threat to a QB is a struggle for me. I agree with WSW that Pace is by far the biggest culprit, and I accept that it isn't Scott or Harris's job to be eating QBs every play, but if you tie that much money up on those three then recruiting the fast rusher we need becomes that much harder as the money simply isn't there.

 

in tannenbaum I trust, I wouldn't be surprised if we resign all three.

 

We all want Harris back, but 9.7 for a MLB? That is insanity.

We had a good MLB in Vilma and easily replaced him, and already have a high paid MLB. Why not try to get a long term deal with him and save some cap room, and only if he refuses to cooperate, tag him at that point.

 

David Harris is our 2nd best defensive player. I don't understand the rush to get rid of him by many posters here..

 

I'm not in a rush to get rid of him, but I see a situation in which giving him the money he wants will mean we can't fix the pass rush. I believe that we could replace Harris with a much less expensive option - granted not as good, but entirely serviceable next to Bart - and use the money elsewhere to better effect. I don't want to lose Harris, but given we can't ditch Pace's ludicrous salary I'm not sure what else we do? Something has to give, you can't just pay everyone top dollar - where do you think we compromise?

 

I think it has a lot to do with how easily this franchise has replaced MLB's. We have had pretty good one's for the past 13 years, and after each one left, we have always found one that played at a similar level.

Also, I just think that people feel he is an elite MLB because he doesn't make flashy plays and is not out-spoken.

Add those 2 things, and I think people feel he is replaceable. And when you consider that 9.6 million is going to be his cap number for next year, it all should make sense.

 

Typically, you use the frachise tag on a player that you don't think you can reach a long-term agreement with. However, it seems like Edwards and Cromartie both want to be back, so it's not a terrible idea to tag our team MVP. I have a feeling that both Holmes and Smith are going to go where the money's at so we'd probably have to overpay (especially in Smith's case) to keep them.

 

There's another aspect to this as well that I haven't seen mentioned. Remember some of the players grumbling last offseason when the Jets didn't re-sign Leon and Jones? Particularly in the case of Leon, a number of players were upset. He had been a great, loyal Jet, never griped or complained, and was always professional. He was well-liked in the clubhouse. Harris has just been voted MVP by his teammates. If the Jets made signing Holmes, Edwards or Cromartie their priority rather than Harris, the FO could have a mutiny on their hands. I don't think they have any intention of trading Harris, but even if they do, in the interim they're gonna show that they value him, are willing to keep him and pay him, and drive his value up as high as they can. Then if another team blows them away with an offer, they can always say it was too good a deal to pass up, and the players probably couldn't gripe too much. At least the Jets would have then shown Harris respect.

That said, in some ways trading Harris would solve some of their money problems, not only in terms of how much they'd be paying their LBers next season, but in terms of being able to re-sign their other FAs.

If they could get a 1 and a 3 for Harris, they could conceivably be able to re-sign Holmes, Edwards & Cromartie, plus Hunter and whomever else among their current FAs they wanted to keep, as well as possibly signing a Kamerion Wimbley or 2-3 lesser FAs.

Then with 2 #1s. 2 #3s, and picks in rounds 4-7, they could possibly draft a pass-rushing OLB, DE, NT AND an ILB. WR or S just in the first 3 rounds. They'd then be able to perhaps take Andy Dalton in the 4th round if he's still there, or double dip at OLB or ILB or go for OL depth/insurance.

 

If you were to say OLB is a problem, i'd agree with you.
But to say LB's are our biggest issue is off base. There is nothing wrong with Harris or Scott.
Pace did not have a good enough year, but i expect that could improve with someone commanding double teams in the middle, and a pass rushing force on the other side.

There already is no money to go out and acquire a pass rusher. It will likey need to be addressed in the draft.